The Love of a Father and the Love of a Son
by Pride of a Saiyan
Summary: Finally I converted everything into HTML format, reads a lot easier! Summary inside, please read and review! DBZ for Life!
1. The Mysterious Youth

DBZ – The Love of a Father... and the Love of a Son

Hi everyone! AU about the end Frieza/beginning Android Saga. When Future Trunks arrives, he brings along a female Saiyan-Magician hybrid even stronger than Goku! She turns out to be a Royal Guard and has dedicated her life to the protection of the Saiyan Prince. What impact will she have on Vegeta and Trunks? READ AND REVIEW please? DBZ for life!

Chapter one – The Mysterious Youth

Vegeta flew so fast the other Z warriors could barely keep up. Frieza had returned, it was beyond imagination!

"That damn Kakarot," he thought. "Frieza's ki feels stronger than ever and he's wasting his time in outer space… I don't stand a chance to defeat him on my own."

They landed half a mile away from the place Frieza's ship had landed.

"Keep your energy low," he commanded. "I don't want Frieza to find out that we're here."

They proceeded silently until they could see Frieza and several others standing around the ship.

"Who's the other guy?" Yamcha asked to no one in particular.

"King Cold," Vegeta whispered. He almost looked scared. "That's Frieza's father."

"Holy shit," Krillin said. "We are no match for that kind of power!"

"We have to try," Piccolo said grim. "We have no choice."

"Right behind you, Namek," Vegeta said sarcastically. "Were you always this suicidal?"

Gohan stepped forward in anger. "Shut up, Vegeta! Piccolo is right, we're the only ones who stand a chance. Do you want to leave all the Earthlings defenceless against those guys? You know what cruelty they're capable of!"

If looks could kill, Goku would've lost his son right now. Vegeta almost attacked Gohan, then lowered his clenched fists.

"That's exactly why I'm not really looking forward to attacking them, you insulting little insect."

"They're on the move!" Krillin exclaimed and pointed down to the valley.

"Kuso," Vegeta cursed.

"Lost your temper and powered up, huh?" Gohan teased. "You baka."  
"I won't kill you for that since you've already signed your own death warrant. Pity though: you were on your way to become as annoying as that imbecile moron that you call daddy."

"Don't you dare talk about my father like that!"

"That's it, get mad. Maybe then you can block Frieza's first attack."

"Time is running out, you guys," Krillin warned them. "Could you please stop fighting each other and think of something to do instead?"

"I've got an idea: let's use you as bait!" Vegeta snapped. Krillin's face turned as white as a piece of paper.

"You do as you please," Vegeta sighed. "I'm not going to run, nor am I going to sit around and wait! If we have to die, at least let it be an honourful death."

He took off and flew right towards Frieza and King Cold.

"He's crazy," Bulma whispered.

"No lack of courage and pride here," Krillin said. "But he's not scoring any points in the intelligence department with this action."

"We have to help him," Piccolo said.

"Wait!" Gohan cried. "Look!"

A bright light flashed right between Frieza and Vegeta. Then another… and another. A young man with purple hair and a sword tied to his back seemed to appear from out of nowhere and turned around to face the unfriendly group of intruders.

"You must be Frieza," he said to Frieza.

Vegeta stopped midair and kept floating at the spot, surprised and anxious to see what was going to happen.

"I am indeed. Who the hell are you?"

"Your worst nightmare," the young man answered. "I am the Super Saiyan who is going to finish the job that Goku left me."

Frieza started to laugh. King Cold asked: "Goku? What's a Goku?"

"Oh father, shut up. Really you should try to drink less, your memory gets more dysfunctional by the day!" He turned to the young man and said: "You're no Super Saiyan, you're just bluffing. Soldiers, get rid of that baka. Kill him!"

"I'm warning you, Frieza. They don't stand a chance against me."

"Hah! We'll see about that."

The soldiers made their way to the brave warrior. Vegeta tried to follow his movements but soon found out the battle was already over.

"No way!" he thought. "That's… impossible!"

The young man put away his sword and said: "I hate to say 'I told you so', but in this case I'll make an exception."

"What the… Damn you!" Frieza yelled and attacked him, but he seemed to disappear before Frieza could lay a hand on him.

"Not so fast," the young man said, now on top of a mountain nearby. "I want to let you in on a little secret first. Watch closely."

He started to power up and transformed into a Super Saiyan. Rocks were lifted up into the air by the enormous amount of energy that was released. Vegeta had to brace himself not to fall.

"That power… He's even stronger than Kakarot! Who IS this guy? And how does he know Kakarot?"

Frieza was chopped up in small pieces in a rather short amount of time. King Cold was next and died by a strong energy blast that went through his chest.

Then the young warrior turned towards Vegeta.

"Tell your friends to follow me when they want to see Goku. He'll be landing any minute now."


	2. Welcome Back, Goku

Chapter two – Welcome Back, Goku

Out of curiosity everyone followed the youngster. Gohan flew up to him and asked: "Who are you and how do you know my father?"

"My name is Trunks. I never met your father, I only know him by reputation. I'm sorry, but I can't tell you any more than that."

"Why not?"

"It's kind of complicated… I can't answer your questions. There's a good reason for it, believe me."

Gohan nodded and asked no more. They landed pretty soon and were surprised to see another person come out of the shadows in between the rocks.

"Everything went according to plan?" the woman asked.

"Yep."

"Thank goodness. Now all we have to do is wait for Kakarot."

Vegeta finally got a good look at her. Even though her hair wasn't black, the tail gave her away immediately: she was a Saiyan. His face got red when he recognized her ki.

"My name is Tara," she introduced herself. "As you can see, I'm part Saiyan. I came here today to intervene in case something went wrong with Trunks. He has a message for the one you call Goku, who will be arriving here shortly."

"And how the hell do you know all this?" Vegeta snapped.

"Patience, Sire. Your questions will be answered in time."

"You know all of us?" Bulma asked.

"You should know, Bulma. I saved your life many years ago and your parents rewarded me for it. Ask them when you get home. You probably don't remember a thing because you were unconscious."

"They told me I got lost and someone brought me back, but they never told me who saved my life that day. But that doesn't explain how you know the others."

"Trunks told me all about you guys. I met Prince Vegeta when I was still a kid. I was lucky enough to be in outer space the moment Frieza went berserk on our home planet. That's all I can say for now."

Further questions were interrupted by a spacepod that crash-landed about a hundred feet away.

"Those instruments are pretty accurate, Trunks," Tara said. "Let's go check if Kakarot is alright."

The door of the ship opened and Goku stuck his head out. Gohan flew right into his arms. "Dad!"

"What the… How did you know I was going to be here, you guys?"

"They told us," Gohan said and pointed to Trunks and Tara. Goku flew up to them and asked: "How did you know?"

"I'll tell you," Trunks said. "Follow me."

While Trunks and Goku were talking, Vegeta went to Tara and growled: "So it was you who defeated me when I first landed on this pitiful planet."

"So you figured it out?"

"You're a Saiyan! You even call me 'Sire' but you humiliated me all the same. Explain!"

"This is not the time…"

"I'll be the judge of that! Now tell me!"

"I will, Prince, but not now." She turned her back on him.

"I can't believe you're putting your life at stake for this," Vegeta said in a threatening tone.

"You're not on planet Frieza anymore, Prince. Back off. You have no idea what you're dealing with here."

"I have no idea? Hah! You're only half-Saiyan, you can't possibly be stronger than I am!"

"I have beaten you once, I can do it again. You're welcome to try. To be honest, I'm getting tired of listening to this."

The moment Vegeta wanted to attack her, he felt a huge increase of energy and got distracted by Goku and Trunks who went Super Saiyan.

"What the hell are they doing?"

"I have no idea. But since Trunks has a good reason for everything he does, it'll probably be necessary."

She noticed Vegeta's craving for more power as he watched the two Super Saiyans fight.

"Patience really isn't your strongest side, is it?" she asked boldly.

"Saiyans have always been impatient."

"As soon as we get to Capsule Corp. I'll tell you what you need to know, alright? Look, I'm sorry, but this whole mess isn't my fault. Kakarot should have finished off Frieza for good instead of leaving him on Namek. And it sure isn't my fault that you're not a Super Saiyan yet."

Vegeta looked at her in silence, then he asked: "Yet? You mean…"

"Oops, I shouldn't have said that. Damn."


	3. Z Warriors Prepare

Chapter three – Z Warriors Prepare

The sun was setting when Yamcha, Bulma, Puar, Vegeta and Tara landed at Capsule Corp. Piccolo, who heard the whole conversation between Trunks and Goku, told them about the androids. Everyone decided to go and prepare themselves for the fight. Trunks left and went 'back to the future'. The remaining warriors went some place else to train. Vegeta waited impatiently until everyone else went inside and then turned to Tara.

"Now tell me."

"Alright, alright. Just don't interrupt me, I hate it when people do that.

I assume you remember our lives back on Vegeta-sei, don't you?"

"Of course."

"Well, your father had a special purpose for me. As you have seen on Earth, certain races exist that are weak in themselves, but they can become very strong once mixed with Saiyan blood. Humans, for example, are no match for us. But once a human mates with a Saiyan, an even stronger species will rise."

"What are you saying? The other part of you is _human_?"

She shook her head. "Your father never found out about the humans, Kakarot's son is a mere coincidence! But the King was experimenting with a Saiyan-Magician hybrid – I'm the first one that actually met the high standards he had set. That's the reason you and I got acquainted when we were kids; otherwise, he would only allow purebloods around you. He sent me away when I was six years old though. I was to be trained on another planet, to become a Royal Guard."

"A Royal Guard?" Vegeta looked surprised. "Only the strongest fighters are allowed to participate in that order! Pure blood is a prerequisite for entering the training sequences!"

"Well, your father decided I was good enough. My Master was killed by Frieza shortly after I had become a Master myself. I was lucky enough to escape and went to Earth, where I lived a peaceful life. Until one day I was contacted telepathically by King Kai, who told me that a couple of Saiyans had set course to Earth. Kakarot was already training on his planet and King Kai asked me to be there as backup when Nappa and you would arrive. But because I concentrated on Kakarot's ki as my cue, I was too late and you had already killed Nappa, not to mention several Z warriors. Kakarot and his son almost defeated you – almost. Luckily I was there to finish what they had started and to save you from Krillin's rage. If it weren't for me, he would have struck you with Yajirobe's sword. You got away in your spacepod. Soon after that, we found out there were more Dragonballs to be collected on Namek. Part of the Z squad went there to get them so we could wish back Piccolo. Too bad that Frieza also found out…"

"Why weren't you there?"

She sighed. "I was to remain on Earth. The prophecy told me to. In order to destroy Frieza, Kakarot had to transform into a Super Saiyan. The fact that you died contributed to his rage, pushing him hard to cross the line of his power. Krillin's death did the trick in the end; then it became perfectly clear to Kakarot that there was no good side to be found in Frieza, only pure evil." Her eyes were filled with tears when she said: "I owe you an apology, Sire. It was my duty to protect you and I failed."

"Forget it," he answered. "I was revived and Frieza was killed. I'd say you made the right choice."

She looked surprised, but then continued her story. "You were revived with the Namekian Dragonballs and wished back to Earth immediately. You stayed here for a while, then decided to take a spaceship and go look for Kakarot, dying to know how he became a Super Saiyan."

"Don't remind me. I never found him and eventually ran out of gas so I had to return to Earth. Would you stop telling me things I already know?"

"I'm sorry. This time it was Trunks who came to warn me that Frieza was still alive and out for revenge. We arranged that he would stop Frieza once and for all while I was to be his backup. Well, that's pretty much it."

"You still haven't told me where he's from and how the hell he became a Super Saiyan too."

"You thought that Kakarot and you were the last Saiyans that survived, but you were wrong. You never found out about me either…"

"You're not a pureblood and neither is Trunks," Vegeta interrupted.

"You have to trust me, Sire. I cannot tell you where he's from, but it'll become clear someday, I promise."

She wanted to walk away, but he grabbed her arm.

"When will I become a Super Saiyan?"

"That depends on too many things, Sire. I cannot say anything for sure about that."

"One more thing: why are you still alive?"

"Sire?"

"Royal Guards are to be eliminated as soon as their protégé reaches adulthood. You know that as well as I do."

"There was no one left who could perform the ritual, Sire. And to be honest, I think the rule is ridiculous. It was created only to take away the threat for the Royal family."

"Are you calling us cowards?" His eyes were burning with rage.

"Not really. I'm only saying your family took the easy way out by wasting other people's lives. Just think about it, Prince. I'm not here to challenge you, on the contrary! The reason I'm here is because I dedicated my life to you. I don't expect gratitude, but at least show me some common sense."

She left him standing there in astonishment.

"Hi Tara!" Bulma greeted her as soon as she walked into the living room. "Let me show you your quarters. I bet you and Vegeta had a lot of catching up to do, huh?"

"That's none of your business, woman." They didn't notice that Vegeta had walked in as well.

"Oh, excuse me for existing. I was just curious," Bulma said.

"And tell your father to fix my training equipment before dawn." He got out of the living room and went to his own quarters.

"Is he always like that?" Tara asked in disbelief.

"Yes, and sometimes he's worse. But don't sweat it, we can handle him. At least he's not killing people anymore. But you knew him when he was a kid, you should know what he's like."

"Guess I forgot… If he causes trouble, just let me know. I will not allow him to harm the ones that offered him shelter!"

"We're used to his behaviour, Tara. As I said, we can handle him."

Tara looked at Bulma and saw she wasn't joking.

"You're very brave for a human," she said.

"That's not very hard if you have a friend like Goku!" Bulma laughed out loud. "Here, these are your rooms. If you need anything, the service robots will get it for you. They're voice controlled."

"Thanks, Bulma. Good night."

"Good night!"

Even though the three warriors were training for the same purpose, they trained alone. Vegeta wanted to be left alone while training; Yamcha couldn't stand Vegeta because he was always rude to Bulma. Tara figured she'd better train alone since she didn't want to hurt anyone. She was by far the strongest of the three and found she missed Trunks.

"He was the only one who came close to my abilities… I hope he got back to his timeline alright."

Her thoughts were interrupted by a huge explosion.

"What the…" She flew straight to the place where the smoke came from. The gravity capsule Vegeta was training in had collapsed and was literally blown to pieces. She tried to contact him telepathically, but didn't find any trace of him.

"Oh no…"

Yamcha arrived at the spot and shook his head. "I knew this was going to happen! He's been pushing himself way too hard."

Tara fell down to her knees and dug into the ruins in front of her. She startled when Vegeta's hand came out and backed away. Vegeta made his way out of the remainders of the capsule and tried to get himself together.

"You were _blocking_ me?" Tara yelled in disbelief. "How could you?"

Vegeta collapsed and Tara got to him immediately.

"You baka, you're injured. You need to rest."

"I don't need your help. I have to get stronger!"

"You're obsessed with becoming a Super Saiyan. If you keep on going like this, you'll kill yourself."

"I'm a pureblood Saiyan. I can take a little pain, it means nothing to me!"

"Oh, shut up. Despite what you may think, you _are_ made of flesh and blood and your body obviously cannot take this any longer. I don't care if we have to restrain you, but you will rest."

"I don't take orders from you!" He tried to break free, but found that he couldn't. She tightened her grip on his shoulders and whispered: "See? You need to heal, Sire."

He grit his teeth but didn't resist when she picked him up and took him to the infirmary. He lost consciousness as soon as she put him to bed.

"It's unbelievable that he has survived such a terrible explosion," dr. Briefs said. "Those Saiyans are practically indestructible! If he rests for a week or two, he'll recover fully."

"I'll make sure that he stays in bed," Tara said. 

"All by yourself?" Bulma asked. "Are you sure?"

"I'll be fine, relax."

"Okay then, but I'll check on you every day! And when you need anything, just say so."

"Thanks Bulma."

They left the room.

"Even now he's trying to trick me," Tara thought. "Unconscious? Maybe he was for five minutes, but he's already trying to find a way past me to escape. His will is so strong… Amazing."

"Got me all figured out, haven't you?" he asked, opening his eyes. "You can't keep me here against my will!"

"I sure can… and will. It's my duty to protect you."

He got out of bed faster than she had imagined possible and he attacked her head on. She had no choice and kicked him in the stomach. He fell to his knees coughing his guts out.

"So much… for… protection," he groaned.

"I'm sworn to protect you, even from yourself, Sire." She picked him up and put him back to bed.

"I don't know what's going on inside your head, but you'll have to change if you want to stay here," she said.

"I'm Prince of all Saiyans, I do as I please."

"You know, you got that wrong!" she said, raising her voice. "We're not on Vegeta-sei anymore and the people here are not yours to command! You're a guest in this house and on this planet, so you'd better start acting like one!"

"Give me one reason why I should listen to _you_!"

"Because I'm the only one who knows how to grow your tail back… Prince."

He looked at her in amazement, then turned his back to her and growled: "Fine, I'll rest. One week, not a day more!"

"Thank you ever so much," she grinned. "I guess you want me to leave now?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

"I'll be watching so don't even think about trying to leave this room," she said before closing the door behind her.


	4. Healing Slowly

Chapter four – Healing Slowly

"Come in!"

"Good morning," Tara said. "Feel better?"

"Now that I see you brought breakfast with you, I do."

"I noticed you haven't been eating a lot since you locked yourself up inside the gravity capsule… Must be part of the cause of your exhaustion."

"I'm not exhausted! Damn it, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm fine!"

"Stop lying to yourself. We're not kids anymore."

They ate in silence for a while.

"So you know how to grow my tail back… I thought that was impossible when it was cut off beyond the root."

"It isn't. Magicians can bring back most parts of the body, no matter what happened to them. We'll have to perform a ritual and it's probably going to hurt like hell."

"I don't care. I've been through hell while I was Frieza's slave; it can't be worse than that."

"I still wonder how you managed to survive."

"All I know is that I learned one thing back then: you cannot rely on anything or anyone. All that really matters is your own strength."

"If you believe that, I pity you, Sire. There's much more to life than just that."

"How would you know? You weren't there!"

"You're on Earth now, Prince, and Frieza's gone for good. It's about time you put the past behind you."

"You talk like you don't care about what he did."

"He killed many of my loved ones… But it's done and nobody can change that. I'd rather look forward to see what the future will bring me."

"Alright. When will you do your little magic thing to bring back my tail?"

"As soon as you're healed. So you see, it's in your best interest to get well."

"I'll make you pay for this blackmail, I promise."

"Looking forward to it, Sire."

She found Vegeta standing next to his bed the next morning.

"Going somewhere?"

"I'm getting sick and tired of staring at those four walls. I'm going for a walk and I couldn't care less about your feelings about that!"

"Relax, I'm not trying to stop you, am I? If it's okay with you, I'll join you."

He almost looked relieved – almost.

"Fine."

They walked in silence and after a while, Tara began to wonder what was going on inside Vegeta's head.

"That's none of your business," he hissed.

"Excuse me?"

"Stop trying to get into my head. It's annoying and extremely rude, to say the least."

"I'm not trying to get into your head!" she said defensively. "Not intentionally. I'm just worried about you, Sire."

"Stop worrying. I'm fine."

"That Super Saiyan thing is still bothering you, isn't it?"

"Would you shut up about that!" he snapped. "It was already highly humiliating when I found out that Kakarot, of all idiots, was the Legendary Super Saiyan. Now that I've found out that there's even a kid that has the same ability… Imagine how that makes me feel."

"I already know how you feel, you made that very clear. You forgot to mention the fact that you are even surpassed by a mere woman." She smiled happily.

"What the hell are you trying to pull off here?" he asked surprised. "Are you trying to get me mad or something?"

"I'm just teasing you. Lighten up! You're still a member of the 'we're super-powered super heroes' team."

"I'm not a team player," he growled. "As a Royal Guard, you could show me at least a little respect instead of bugging me all the time."

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry," she smiled. "But since you always insist that emotions are for the weak, I assumed you could not be hurt in such a way."

He stared at her in disbelief, then lost control over himself and flashed her a genuine smile. "I guess I got used to such a lack of intelligence by staying on this planet that I didn't see that one coming. But I wasn't referring to those petty feelings of weak Earthlings. I meant that you should follow the rules when interacting with a higher being like me." He smirked arrogantly.

"Is that all you can think of, Sire? Those rules do not apply to us anymore. According to the rules, I should be dead by now. Besides, we're on Earth, where you are no longer a prince, but a mere alien from outer space."

"You're asking for it, woman!" He got into a fighting stance, but she simply laughed at him.

"Two things, my Prince. One: no fighting for a week, because you haven't regained your full power yet. And two: on this planet, it's not considered very polite when you hit a lady."

"Hah! You're not a lady and never will be!" He started to walk back to Capsule Corp.

"Oh? And why is that?"

"You're a warrior, gender has nothing to do with that. Using the fact that you're a woman as an excuse not to fight is the most coward thing I've heard in my entire life!"

"I'm not a coward, Sire. You know that as well as I do. I'd be happy to spar with you, but only after your tail is revived."

"I can't wait."

"I know. Patience and self control were not considered great virtues among our people. You should learn, Vegeta. It would make you a heck of a better fighter." She took off and disappeared behind a dark rain cloud. He didn't even feel the rain coming down all of a sudden, soaking his body. He stared up to the sky and stood there like a statue. The sound of his name from her lips struck him like thunder. For a moment, they had been equals. He felt like her soul had touched his; carefully, almost scared.

"Damn that woman," he growled. "I hate it when I have to depend on someone to get my way. She'll pay for that as soon as I get my tail back."


	5. Heads or Tails

Chapter five – Heads or Tails

She almost fell out of bed when Vegeta burst through her bedroom door at four a.m.

"Wake up woman," he growled impatiently.

"What the… Vegeta? Are you crazy? What time is it?"

"Four in the morning. Time to get me my tail back. I'm healed."

"Geez…" She rubbed her eyes. "Well, since you've asked it so nicely… I'll be right out. Just give me five minutes."

She sighed when she grabbed some clothes and put them on, after splashing some cold water in her face. He's such an impatient bastard, she thought. Sometimes I don't even know why I'm trying to help him. She picked up a bag with supplies she got earlier this week and walked out the door.

"Follow me," she said to Vegeta. "Oh, and one very important thing: I'm not in the best of moods right now, so don't question anything I ask of you. ANYTHING. Understand?"

He nodded. They were standing outside now.

"Alright. I need you to take me to the place where you lost your tail." He took off without hesitation and she followed him.

"Right here," he said when they had landed. 

"Great. Make yourself at home, this is going to take a while." She started with the preparations; drawing a pentagram, putting special torches on the tips of it, chanting softly while she was busy. Finally she was completely satisfied with the results. Rituals like these required perfect performance, or else it wouldn't work. Or even worse, it would only work halfway. It happened to her once and she was determined never to relive that experience. It had been horrible. She snapped out of her thoughts when she saw Vegeta staring at her.

"Your turn, my Prince. Take off your clothes."

His eyes went wide. "Excuse me?"

She lifted a finger and said warningly: "Not in the best of moods, remember? Trust me, it's the only way."

He got to it, while muttering: "I swear to Kami, if you're playing games with me, I'll personally torture you to death."

"Stop flattering yourself, Prince. I have no intention at all to play with you. I'm dead serious." Her voice had changed slightly, but his Saiyan ears could detect the difference with ease. It sounded harsh, commanding him to obey.

"Lie down in the middle of the pentagram with your face down. Close your eyes and try not to move whatever happens."

He did as he was told and felt fear in his heart. He had never dealt with a Magician ritual before and he hated not to know what to expect. Lying there, naked and completely depending on another person, made him feel more vulnerable and insecure than ever before in his life. He rested his head on his arms and tried to relax, thinking about the purpose of all this: getting his tail back and eventually becoming a Super Saiyan as he should be.

"Here, bite down on this," she told him, offering him a thing that looked like a small branch. "I've seen human teeth shatter during rituals, I don't even want to imagine what would happen with the ones of a pureblood Saiyan."

He grunted. He couldn't imagine that this thing, whatever it was made of, would survive the pressure of his jaws when he was in real pain. Still, he obeyed her. He felt her hands on his back and wondered what she was doing. It felt like she was drawing symbols on his skin, perhaps for protection? It relaxed him to the point that he was almost asleep.

He was ready for it now, she could see it. She really wished she didn't have to do this, but it was his own will that got him into this in the first place. She whispered the ritual prayer to the gods of this planet in Magician language. Then she turned her face up to the sky and stretched out her arms to the stars.

"Airel, hear me and heed me. See here, before me, the story of a man who lost his own race. Return to him the symbol of his people, return to him his tail. Grant my wish, for I ask you humbly and in need."

Dark clouds gathered right above them and the wind increased its power to a storm. Lightning struck at the horizon, the rumbling was closing in fast. She looked down and saw Vegeta move.

"Hold still!" she cried to him telepathically. She wanted to reach out her hand and help him get through this so badly, but she knew she wasn't allowed to. Through the instant telepathic bond that was formed during the ritual, she had seen his fear of the things that were happening right here and now, things he couldn't understand. Lightning struck again, hitting Vegeta in his lower back. She heard his screams of agony mixing with the incredible noise of the raging storm and a lonely teardrop went down her cheek when her prince was hit by lightning again and again.


	6. To Become Stronger

Chapter six – To Become Stronger

He woke up, and was surprised when he couldn't feel his own body. Then it hit him. Every single piece of him felt like it was hit by an intergalactic train. He gasped for air, managing to hurt himself even more. The air seemed to burn inside his lungs.

"Sire? Are you awake?" His blurry vision began to improve slowly and finally showed him the face of Tara, who was kneeling beside him and looked down at him concerned.

"I… I remember dying on planet Namek," he said, breathing heavily. "It was less painful than this! What the hell did you do to me?" He tried to sit up, helped by Taras strong arm.

"I told you it was going to hurt like hell."

"Did it work?" he asked her.

"See for yourself," she smiled.

He looked over his shoulder to see his tail, still trembling slightly because of what happened.

"Incredible," he sighed. He instantly snapped back to reality when the cold breeze reminded him of his extreme lack of clothing. Tara must have been thinking about the same thing, since she got up and handed him his clothes.

"Let's get out of here. I'm starving," she said. "Do you think you can fly?"

He tried to use his ki to lift himself up, but failed miserably. He still felt dizzy and disorientated.

"I guess I'm walking."

"What? No way! It would take you a day and a half to get back!"

"Your point being…?"

"I'll fly you there. Unless you're scared, that is."

"Are you calling me a coward again?" 

"Yep. Now get your ass on my back because I'm really craving for a good breakfast. I'm not leaving you out here in your condition."

Vegeta thought about what to do. The long walk wasn't that appealing; he was hungry too and had to rest to regain his full power. The faster he recovered, the sooner he would get revenge on this annoying little creature.

"Fine."

They flew in silence, each one of them captivated by their own thoughts. Tara looked up to Vegeta, but his face was expressionless, his eyes stared into the distance. His tail was wrapped firmly around his waist. I have to be careful, she suddenly realized. He might become even stronger than I am, since he has royal blood. The King may have been right about him… He has foreseen many things. I wonder if Vegeta has the ability too. She couldn't tell. His mental barriers were stronger than hers, which annoyed her endlessly. I'm going to train my ass off to prevent being surpassed by him. I know he wants revenge and I still don't know exactly what side he's on. 

She landed outside Capsule Corp. two hours later. She watched how Vegeta went inside, sighed and stretched her back. Performing the ritual had drained a lot of her energy and she decided to rest today. Training could wait one more day. Breakfast couldn't.

Vegeta got up before dawn the next morning. He wasted no time and got to the gravity capsule. He was very anxious to find out how much stronger he had become. His mind drifted away and he thought about Tara while warming up. He wondered why she decided to dedicate her life to him. Of course, she was trained to be a Royal Guard, but she had no obligations what so ever to him. There was something about her… She seemed so selfless, so loyal. The big question remained 'why'. This wasn't about her being a Royal Guard. He knew her even before she became one. When they were little kids he used to tease her with the fact that she wasn't a pureblood. She naturally responded by kicking his ass, making him furious. Even then she was holding back on him, trying not to hurt him too bad. Damn it, she could've killed him and claimed the throne for herself but she didn't. Again the question: why? Was it because she was half Magician? He knew very little about Magicians, the only thing he knew is that they could grow a lot older than the average Saiyan. Perhaps they didn't care for power. Tara was stronger than he was, but she never used her strength for her own purposes. Instead she made it her job to protect him. It was mind-ravaging. No Saiyan would ever act that way. He shook his head and concentrated on his training. He got sucked into the familiar world of pushing himself to the very limits of his fighting skills.  

Tara was sitting at the lake, about a mile away from the main compound of Capsule Corp. Next to her was a small chest with the few things that were left of her home and family. She could hear Vegeta's words echoing inside her head.

"You talk like you don't care about what he did."

"He killed many of my loved ones… But it's done and nobody can change that. I'd rather look forward to see what the future will bring me."

But unlike other people, she already knew what the future would bring. Trunks had told her who he really was… Vegeta's son. Lucky Bulma, she thought bitter. I never imagined that the Prince of all Saiyans would even consider to get acquainted with those 'petty humans', let alone sleep with one. And in Trunks's timeline, Vegeta had died when trying to destroy the androids. Only Bulma and Trunks eventually had survived…

'Wait a second,' she suddenly thought surprised. 'He never mentioned me being in his timeline. What the hell happened to me?'

Something violently disturbed her inner mesmerizing when crashing into the lake.

"Now what?" she thought irritated. She capsulated her belongings, just in case she had to fight.


	7. The Return of Trunks

Chapter seven – The Return of Trunks

She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw Trunks getting out of his time machine.

"That's the last time I'm using your ki to pinpoint my landing coordinates," he muttered while making his way to shore.

"Trunks? You're back? But why?" She looked at him concerned. "Did something go wrong?"

"No, don't worry about that." He took off his jacket and squeezed water out of it. "I just figured I'd go back and help you beat the androids. After all, I can use a little intelligence before facing them in my own timeline."

"Smart move," she smiled. Then her face turned serious. "Trunks, I've got to ask you something. You already told me what happened to the other Z Fighters in your timeline… but what about me? Where do I fit in?"

"You don't," he said after a slight moment of hesitation. "I've never seen you in my timeline and neither has my mom."

"But how can that be? I'm not exactly the type of person to run and hide when things get a little rough."

"I know. I have no clue whatsoever what the story on you is."

"Maybe I died while fighting the androids on my own…"

"Could be. But even then I can't imagine that I never picked up your ki signal. It's so strong, in this timeline I could never miss it."

"It's a mystery," Tara sighed. "Well, I don't care really. What matters is that I'm here right now. Let's get you inside and I'll give you some dry clothes. And since it's almost dinner time, let's see what we can get for a meal as well."

"You see, that's what I like about you. You have great ideas at exactly the right time." He put his arm around her in a friendly manner and she startled back.

"You baka, you're going to get water all over me!"

He grinned and for a moment he resembled his father so much that Tara had to blink to make sure it wasn't Vegeta she was looking at.

"So? We'll both change when we get back. I just wanted to let you know I missed your company."

She picked up his wet jacket and threw it in his face. "I missed you too, Trunks." She started laughing and took off.

"You bitch," he said mockingly and went after her. He caught up with her and they landed right in front of Capsule Corp. Tara was still watching him from the corner of her eyes because she knew he'd try and get revenge. Then she was distracted by Vegeta, who came out of the gravity capsule and started to make way for the building. Trunks's wet jacket hit her right in the face and she was lying flat on her back with Trunks on top of her before she could even react. "You're getting sloppy," he said, teasing her. She pulled away the jacket and pushed herself up, leaning on her elbows.

"And you have been training your ass off, I notice. Who are you trying to impress?"

"Take a wild guess." Before he could go on with his joke, an energy blast hit his side, throwing him off. He landed twenty feet away.

"What the…"

Tara turned around and saw Vegeta standing halfway between the gravity capsule and the main compound, his arms crossed. He looked angry.

"What the hell is his problem?" Trunks asked her, rubbing his ribs. "He wasn't assuming that we…"

"I guess he was," Tara smirked. "He must have had a bad day of training to be in this kind of mood."

"Can't blame him for being jealous," Trunks said.

"Jealous? Who are you kidding? Vegeta would never…"

"This is another timeline, Tara. Maybe my father has learned how to feel something else than pride alone."

"Yeah right."

They went in and she said: "Make yourself at home, I'll go get the food."

She went into the kitchen and spotted Vegeta. She grabbed him by his throat and pushed him up against the wall.

"What the hell did you that for, huh? We were just fooling around, no need for you to go ape on him!"

"He wasn't bothering you?" Vegeta seemed sincerely surprised while shaking off her hand.

"No, he wasn't and even if he was, I can handle my own business, thank you very much."

He grunted and looked away.

"Fine. In that case, don't count on me to help you anytime soon."

"Since when are you my bodyguard, Vegeta?"

He actually looked embarrassed when he couldn't come up with an answer.

"Just don't hurt Trunks again, okay? Believe me, he'd never hurt me."

"You can't blame me for not trusting that guy. You still haven't told me who he is and where the hell he came from. Yes, he's from the future, that's what I know. It's not enough!"

"Face it, you just can't stand the fact that he is a Super Saiyan and you aren't."

She was knocked out cold by his gloved fist. Vegeta's aura flared up with its typical blue and white. His eyes were burning with rage.

Trunks ran into the kitchen because he felt a ki rising.

"Goddamn it Vegeta!" he shouted when he saw Tara lying motionless on the floor. "What have you done?"

"She was asking for it," he growled between clenched teeth. "Don't sweat it, kid, she's just unconscious."

Trunks shook his head. "I can't believe you. Could you at least try not to get offended so easily? Your temper is what got you killed in my timeline, you know."

"I don't care. I'm here, not there." He walked over to Tara, picked her up and put her over his shoulder. Trunks watched him leave the kitchen to take Tara to her quarters. He rested his head against the fridge. He had lost his appetite.


	8. Revelations from the Past

Chapter eight – Revelations from the Past

Tara woke up with a slight headache nagging in the back of her head. She had barely opened her eyes, when she heard Vegeta's familiar harsh voice say: "Don't ever do that again."

He was standing by the window, his back towards her.

"My sincere apologies, your Highness. I didn't know the truth was so hard to handle for you," she said sarcastically.

He turned around, clenching his fists. "So what if it's true that I don't like to be surpassed? Why would you care about what I feel?"

"It's my duty," she sighed, closing her eyes and resting her head in the pillow to avoid his intense gaze.

"You're a pathetic liar, Tara. It wasn't your 'duty' to restore my tail. You did that for me. Why?"

"You figure it out, Prince," she said, getting upset now. She felt like a cornered animal and wanted to get away from Vegeta's attention as soon as possible.

He approached her bed and leaned over. "What if I already did?"

"Then you shouldn't be asking me this," she hissed and got out of bed. "Stop fucking around with MY feelings, Vegeta. I'll leave you alone if that's what you want."

"You got that right." He walked out the door, leaving her in a storm of contradicting emotions.

"Curse you," she whispered. She went into the bathroom and took a long shower. Since she had missed dinner, she went downstairs to see if there was anything left in the kitchen. While preparing the food, she tried to figure out what Vegeta was up to.

'Maybe he's just playing hard to get. Who knows what's going on in his twisted little brain? Oh, what am I thinking? He'll be after Bulma pretty soon… There's no way he'll be interested in me. And he shouldn't be anyway. Trunks won't be born if he and Bulma don't get together. That would be a waste.' She suddenly saw a connection.

"Oh my God. What if I intervene between Bulma and Vegeta in this timeline? Then Trunks won't be born! So why don't I exist in Trunks's timeline? Because King Vegeta never experimented with any hybrids! But if that's true… then this whole timeline could be different due to my existence!"

"Thank Kami it's me who just walked in, and not Vegeta or Bulma. Could you try not to think out loud?" Trunks walked into the kitchen. "Are you okay, Tara?"

"I'm fine," she replied. "I'm sorry, you're right, I shouldn't have yelled like that, I was just…"

"…having a brainwave. I understand. So you think that King Vegeta never experimented with hybrids like yourself?"

"That, or someone interfered and somehow caused the failure of my… birth."

"What exactly did you mean by 'intervene between Bulma and Vegeta'?"

She blushes. "You weren't supposed to hear that, Trunks. Just forget about it, alright?" She stands up and wants to leave the kitchen, but Trunks grabs her arm and stops her.

"You're saying that you're in love with my dad? With Vegeta?"

She breaks free. "YES! Alright, I'm in love with that son of a bitch. I know it's selfish and I can't fucking help it even if I wanted to. I'm not supposed to fall in love with him, I'm supposed to protect him. Hell, I don't understand what I feel myself. But what I do know is that this timeline is different and that you may not be born in this dimension."

She took a deep breath to regain control of herself. "I'm sorry, Trunks. I never wanted it to be like this…"

Trunks looked utterly defeated. "Vegeta…" Then he looked up to her and yelled at her: "Do you have ANY idea what you're getting yourself into? You know him better than anyone! You know you're going to end up hurt. Why? Because he's a jerk!" He suddenly stopped in the middle of his lecture and turns around.

"Don't do it, Tara," he said softly. "He's not worth it." He walked out of the kitchen.

He had to do something with his rage right now. He felt like killing Vegeta, but he knew he would never get away with it. Tara would probably be there in time to save him. 

'That baka of a father… He really has to ruin everything, doesn't he? Well I'll make sure he won't get her… Tara is mine!' Trunks turned Super Saiyan and blasted the whole area, blinded by his own jealousy.

'She doesn't even suspect it. She probably thinks of me as her little brother or something like that. Goddamn it, I know I'm a lot younger than she is. Who cares?'

He didn't even want to think about the consequences of his feelings. After all, he was from a different timeline and he had to go back someday. He couldn't leave his mother alone, she would never survive the terror of the androids. This was almost a FUBAR situation, but maybe he could manage to find a way out of it.

P.S. FUBAR means Fucked Up Beyond All Repair in case you didn't know! What'll happen to our beloved heroes? Stayed tuned for the next exciting chapter!!!


	9. Complications

Chapter Nine – Complications

Tara refused to think about the explanation for Trunks's behavior last night, but she couldn't get his enraged face out of her mind. There could be only one reason why he was so concerned about her being in love with Vegeta… 'He must have developed feelings for me while he was back in his own timeline,' she thought. 'As if I can use any more complications. I'm lost here.' She decided it was time to get some help, for the whole situation seemed unsolvable to her right now. She went into a deep trance and her spirit reached out to powers older than man.

'Gods of the Earth, I have a request. Hear me and heed me, for my request is humble and due to things that are not within my control.'

'Who dares to disturb our peaceful slumber?' a dark voice asked her.

'I'm Tara, one of your loyal subjects and follower of the Way of the Light. My fate is bound to the Prince of the Saiyans, for I have chosen to protect his life with my own.'

'Aah, Tara. We know who you are. What is your request?' The voice seemed lighter now she had identified herself.

'I have strong feelings for the one I am sworn to protect, but I don't know what the Prophecy says about…' She stops.

'You mean you don't know whether you are allowed to give in to such feelings?'

'In another dimension he is meant for someone else,' Tara sighs. 'I don't know what I could change here and now, that's why I hesitate. To make it even more complicated, his son from the other dimension fell in love with me and I really don't want to hurt him. I'm lost. Please help me.'

'Hmmm. What you ask of us, is very unnatural. First of all, we're not supposed to help mortals in such a direct way. Second, the one from the other dimension should not be present in your dimension, that can be very dangerous! Tara, you're part Magician! Don't you know that mortal ones are not allowed to travel to other dimensions?'

Tara cursed her blood once more. Had she been a pureblood Magician, she would have been granted advice. But no, she was half Saiyan and had to handle everything herself. Even worse, she's being accused for breaking the rules because she didn't tell Trunks to go back to his own timeline.

'Forgive me, I do know. But Trunks received a mission from King Kai to warn our fighters about the androids.'

'King Kai, huh? Always a rascal. I'll deal with him later.' The voice sighs. 'You will have to choose your destiny soon, Tara. Should you become Vegeta's mate, you'll be turned into a pureblood Saiyan during the mating ritual in order to protect his heritage. Your Magic gifts will be lost forever and so will be your strength. If you mate Trunks, he'll have to choose between his own timeline and yours. I cannot tell you what the consequences of that are going to be.'

'I didn't expect you to tell me anyway,' she said, somewhat irritated. 'Thank you for listening.'

'Choose wisely, Tara. Answers will come in time… and maybe with a little effort.'

She snapped out of it and shivered. It was even worse than she thought! She put her head in her hands and cried softly.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Vegeta stood next to her, apparently on his way from the Gravity Room to the main compound of Capsule Corp.

"Everything," she sobbed. "Leave me alone." She took off into the sky, leaving Vegeta in astonishment.

'This can't be right. I've never seen her cry. Ever! I'd better go after her and find out what the hell is going on.' He took off as well and traced her ki signal. It felt really messed up, but it was definitely hers. He landed on top of a cliff.

"You of all people should know how annoying it is not to be left alone when you want to be."

"So it's payback time. I want to know what the hell is going on."

"I can't tell you."

"Can't or won't?" He came up behind her and gently put his hands on her shoulders. "If this is about me being so hard on you…" He hesitated. "I'm pretty disappointed that I'm not a Super Saiyan yet. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

She couldn't believe what he just said. She was totally dumbfounded. But Vegeta wasn't done yet.

"I have been alone for the greater part of my life. I know I'm not good with people and I'll probably never will be. But I do have feelings, Tara. The loneliness is getting to me. I can't focus on my training anymore…"

She finally got her tongue back.

"So that's it. You think that loving me can make you a Super Saiyan? That's SICK, Vegeta! I will not be used for such a purpose!" She violently pushed him away and ran away from the cliff. Through a blur of tears she could hear him call out her name. She didn't stop and vanished into the woods.


	10. Vanished

Chapter Ten – Vanished

She woke up very abruptly, getting to her feet and clenching her fists.

"Whoa, easy, Tara, it's just me." Trunks put up his hands, palms forward in a reassuring gesture. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm not. Satisfied?"

"Not quite. When I saw Vegeta return to Capsule Corp. alone, I knew something happened. I'd hate to say 'I told you so'."

"Then don't." A tear ran down her face. "My head knows you're right, my heart just doesn't want to listen to anything rational right now."

Trunks walked up to her and gently wiped the tear off her chin. She quickly backed away until her back was against a tree.

"Don't do that," she said softly. "It's not right, Trunks. You know I love someone else. Besides, you're not from this dimension. What future could we possibly have together?"

"So you did think about us as a couple," he said.

"Of course I did! In a way, you and Vegeta are both out of my league! He's supposed to be with Bulma, and you're supposed to go back to your own timeline someday! I'm lost here, Trunks, really lost. I need some time to figure things out." She turned around and wanted to take off, but Trunks grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and whispered: "You cannot run away from me, Tara." She felt his warm breath in her ear and shivered. She was tempted to give in, but then her pride came into play and she punched him in the face, causing him to let go and hit the ground.

"You're as stubborn as your father, Trunks," she said. "Always determined to have your way."

Lying on the ground, he looked up to her. "You're wrong. All I want is for you to be happy."

"We'll see about that." She took off.

Days went by and Tara was nowhere to be seen. Vegeta's patience had come to an end. He knocked on the door of her room. No answer. He opened the door and walked in.

"Tara? Are you there?" She wasn't, he couldn't feel her ki. He walked up to the bed and suddenly did feel a ki behind him. Not hers. It was Trunks's.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" Trunks asked aggressively.

"None of your business. Just wondering where the hell Tara is right now."

"She told me she needed some time to figure things out," Trunks said and turned around to leave the room.

"She didn't leave this room willingly," Vegeta growled softly.

Trunks stopped dead in his tracks and looked at Vegeta.

"Why do you think that?"

"Hah! Halfbreed. Get over here. What do you smell?"

Trunks went up to the bed as well and sniffed the air.

"I'm not sure…"

"That's the smell of fear, kid. My guess is that she was surprised in her sleep and somehow dragged out of here."

"Impossible, no one is stronger than she is!"

"Do you really believe that, kid?"

"Would you stop calling me 'kid' all the time?" Trunks looked at Vegeta furiously, but lost the staring contest.

"Alright, Vegeta. Call me whatever you want. We have to find her, that's more important than our little vendetta."

"We? Oh, no! I'm not taking you with me! You'll only slow me down!"

"Sure, Your Royal Pain in the Ass. A Super Saiyan would not come in handy when you're up to something even stronger than Tara. You have nothing to say about this. I'm coming with you. Period."

Vegeta was surprised by the fire in the youngster's eyes. It seemed so familiar… But he couldn't remember where he had seen it before. He nodded.

Trunks wasted no time, got his sword and they took off, following the faint smell which belonged to Tara.

"You stay here, kid. I'm going in."

They had landed on a giant rock which appeared to be hollow. Tara was in there somewhere, but her ki felt really messed up.

"No way! I'm coming with you!"

"Listen," Vegeta sighed. "I don't trust this cave, or whatever it's supposed to be. I don't know what's in there, but it overpowered Tara. We've got to be careful, I need you out here to watch my back."

Trunks considered arguing with Vegeta, but it sounded perfectly clear and very logic to him.

"Okay, I'll stay. But how will I know if you need help in there?"

"You'll know," Vegeta stated. "You have Saiyan blood, don't you?" He left Trunks standing there with a puzzled look on his face and went into the cave.

It was dark; an unnatural darkness that Vegeta had never seen before. It affected all his senses and seemed to sedate him. He felt sleepy, but ignored it and kept walking. He had to find her and get her out of there. Whatever lived here, it was beyond evil. For the first time in his life, Vegeta was scared so bad he felt the loss of control over himself.

"Come to me…" That was her! He ran up to the sound of her voice.

"Tara?"

"Vegeta, you found me!" She ran towards him and threw herself into his arms.

"What the hell happened?"

"It doesn't matter now… You're here, that's what's important…" She kissed him and he instantly felt something evil slipping into his mind, poisoning his body and taking away his will to fight. He tried to push her away, but sank to his knees instead.

'Tara…' He could only think her name since he could no longer speak.


	11. To Die For

Chapter Eleven – To Die For

'Vegeta, no!' She had to watch powerlessly as Vegeta walked right into his trap. Her wrists were chained to the wall and she was injured pretty bad.

'Karo, you son of a bitch! I'll kill you for this, I swear!'

"Now now, don't be so rude, Tara. After all, he's only a Saiyan. Since when so you care about others? When I first met you, all you seemed to care about was yourself."

'That's so not true,' she growled inside her mind. 'I just hate people who turn evil – like yourself.'

"You're calling me evil? You hypocrit!" he hissed while chaining Vegeta to the opposite wall. "You caused this shit! You weren't supposed to break so many rules… You're about to have them both, now how twisted is that?"

'My feelings are true, Karo. I cannot be blamed for them.'

"You wish! You should have sent Trunks back. If you had, I wouldn't be here now to punish you all."

'You won't get away with this,' she groaned. 'Trust me, you won't.'

Karo, a dark Magician who sold his soul to acquire more power, laughed evilly.

"Until the powers of good are going to save you – oh my! They won't since you're not a pureblood! – I'm going to have some more fun with this Saiyan monkey."

"Who are you calling a monkey, you ugly-faced piece of shit?" Vegeta had woken up and lifted his head to see his capturer only to get hit in the face by the staff of the dark Magician warrior.

Tara cursed the fact that she couldn't speak or telepathically contact Vegeta.

'Please Vegeta, don't tease him. You don't know what you're dealing with.'

She watched Karo beating up Vegeta and clenched her jaws together, trying to push back her tears. 'I got him into this… Karo's going to kill him!'

"Ah, now I see what you're trying to do," Karo suddenly cried out. "The time-traveler is here as well, isn't he? Waiting for a signal so he can storm in and kill the big bad guy, saving his princess and his father at the same time."

Vegeta almost jumped through the roof, but the chains stopped him from going that far.

"FATHER? What the hell are you talking about?" He coughed up blood.

"They haven't told you yet? This halfbreed Saiyan from the future is your son to be! Anyway, it doesn't matter now. You're all going to die. Let's invite him in, shall we?"

He spoke some words in Magician language and thunder came out of his hands. Vegeta got hit and screamed so loud the cave started shaking.

"Here he comes now," Karo says, obviously enjoying himself.

*You knew I'm his father and you didn't tell me?*

Because Karo shifted his attention to Trunks, Vegeta and Tara could talk telepathically. She felt his rage, but it felt good. He was a long way from being dead.

*Yes, I knew all along. Hit me if you can.*

*Does this guy have a weak spot?*

*He's a pureblood Magician and evil, his magic powers are way bigger than mine. To be honest, I really don't know what to do.*

*Great.*

Trunks came in, already in Super Saiyan mode, his aura flashing up with golden sparks. He drew his sword and shouted: "Release them right now or die!"

Karo got into a fighting stance.

*Trunks, whatever you see, don't believe it. He's a Magician-* Tara was interrupted by Karo's staff, sending an energy bolt towards her, hitting her in the face and shutting her up.

"Talking again, aren't we? I hope you enjoyed your last words, Tara." He started saying a spell, but before his staff stroke towards her, Trunks struck down the staff with his sword.

"You've got a lot of nerve to try and kill someone who cannot fight back," he hissed.

Karo looked surprised. "What kind of weapon is that?" He jumped back and got into a defensive stance.

"Take a wild guess." Trunks flashed him a smirk which was actually Vegeta's trademark.

"This complicates things slightly," Karo smiled. "But still you cannot win."

"And why is that?"

"If you kill me, your mother will die in her timeline." Karo showed Trunks a vision of the older Bulma inside a wrecked Capsule Corp.

"You have no power over her."

"Are you willing to take that gamble?"

Trunks was torn apart by the choice between the two dimensions. His hands trembled when he slowly put his sword down.

"I'm not. You win, Magician."

Karo put out his hand and the sword floated up to him. "I like it," he said with a horrible smile. "Now wouldn't it be ironic if the kid was killed by his own sword?" Faster than the eye could see, he attacked Trunks and stabbed him with his own sword. Trunks gasped for air and fell down bleeding bad.

Tara felt immense rage burn up inside of her and finally exploded. Her eyes became fully black and a cold breeze suddenly blew through the cave. Her nails became much longer and thicker, like claws.

"You… beast!" she snarled, breaking free and jumping onto Karo's back. She literally tore him apart, using her claws, newly unleashed magic power and her Saiyan strength.

"Trunks…" She fell to her knees crying and looked over to the motionless body of her close friend.

WHAT? Did I really just let Trunks die? Oww. Evil me! Read the next chapter, people. It's not always as bad as it seems…


	12. Upgrade to Super Saiyan

Chapter Twelve – Survivors

"Tara, could you get me out of here first?" Vegeta was in a real bad condition and his voice was barely more than a whisper. She set him free from his chains and helped him up, groaning in pain from her own wounds.

"Let me handle dad, Tara," she heard a familiar voice say.

"What the… Trunks? But how…"

Trunks lifted up Vegeta, who was now unconscious, and smiled: "My sword is a magic tool, I cannot be killed by it. Didn't I tell you that?"

"No," Tara coughed up blood and spat it out. "You didn't, you jerk. I thought you were dead." A tear rolled down her cheek.

"Well I'm not. But you two almost are and in this condition you can't use your healing powers on dad either. Get onto my back, I'll carry dad. We have to get to Capsule Corp. as soon as possible."

Tara tried to stay awake on his back, but succeeded only partially. Trunks's voice sounded far away when she heard him say: "I'm going to land, Tara, you can get off now."

She rolled off his back and felt the lawn underneath her, cool and soft. The last thing she felt was Trunks's strong arm picking her up and putting her on his shoulder, just like he did with Vegeta on his other shoulder. He dropped them off at the infirmary of Capsule Corp., where dr. Briefs took good care of them. Trunks went up to Korin's Tower to get some senzu beans for them.

*Vegeta?*

*What?*

*How are you feeling?*

*Alive. You?*

*The same… I'm so sorry I got you into this.*

*It was my own free will to go and look for you, you're not to blame here.*

*Why?*

*Because _I_ went looking for you…*

*No, why did you go and look for me?*

*You know damn well why I did that.*

*No I don't.*

*You do.*  
*You're not going to tell me, are you?*

*Not now, not like this.*

*Will you tell me when we get well?*

*Maybe. Still I think you can figure it out yourself.*

*Yo, sleepyheads, wake up already,* Trunks interrupted. "I've got a little present for the two of you."

Vegeta opened his eyes and saw Trunks by his bedside. His son. He couldn't comprehend it, it was too much for him to handle.

"Guess I can call you 'dad' from now on," Trunks said to him, handing him a senzu bean.

"Don't expect me to call you 'son' yet," Vegeta said in a grumpy tone. It was obvious that he didn't mean any harm by it though.

"Doesn't this make you feel like a group hug?" Tara smiled mockingly. Even so, her eyes looked sad because now Vegeta knew what, or more exactly who, his destiny was. She swallowed her senzu bean and got out of bed.

"Hey, where are you going?" Trunks asked.

"Just taking a walk. Relax, I'm not going to disappear again."

"You'd better not," Vegeta growled. "I'll go with you just to make sure."

They walked out, leaving Trunks alone.

"You look pretty scary when you transform," Vegeta stated.

"I wouldn't know. It's not like I'm in control when it happens."

Vegeta sighed. "I've never witnessed any kind of power like yours. You must really love him."

"What do you mean by that?"

"It's obvious that you've made your choice, Tara."

"You're jumping to conclusions, Vegeta. I don't want to choose between the two of you."

"Then what do you want? Do you want to solve this the Saiyan way?"

"The Saiyan way?" She looked puzzled.

"There are rules for situations like these, you know," he said impatiently. "When one cannot choose between two partners, they have to fight to the death. One survives, thus being the one who was destined to be with the other."

Tara grinned. "I never knew such a rule existed. I would never do that to you or to Trunks! No, Vegeta, it's so much simpler than you think. I love you and Trunks. You love me, Trunks loves me. I see no problems here."

"You're suggesting that you could bond with the both of us?" He made a dismissive gesture. "Impossible. Bonding is sacred and unique. It cannot be done."

"And how would you know? All I see is someone who is not willing to share."

He turned his back to her. "Trunks is my son. What you ask of me is ridiculous, not to mention disgraceful."

"I guess we disagree on that point. Just think it over, will you?" She took off and went to see Trunks.

"Your father truly is a proud and stubborn man," she sighed.

"Like I didn't already know that," Trunks said.

"Trunks," she said and looked him in the eye questioningly, "do you have any idea how Vegeta feels about me? I mean, you've got this whole bloodline-thing working for you, you should be able to tell."

"I think he fears you. Not because you are stronger than he is, but he's afraid of the fire you could ignite in him. He still considers love to be an emotion for the weak, he doesn't want to give in."

"He made that perfectly clear," she sighed. "I asked him to consider it…"

"Consider what?"

She looked down at the ground. "A double bond." 

He couldn't help it and started laughing.

"So you think it's ridiculous too," she said disappointed.

"I think you're very brave to ask my father such a thing!" He contained his laughter and looked at her. "Did you really think he would say yes? With his pride?"

"I don't know. I guess you're right. This whole idea is pointless."

He put his arm around her, trying to comfort her.

"Do you think it's weird to be in love with two persons at the same time?" she asked him.

"Not at all," he whispered. "I know it's rare, but that's just another reason to treasure it."

"You're so sweet… I love you, Trunks."

"Love you too." They kissed tenderly only to be brutally interrupted by a golden aura, kicking Trunks away violently.

Tara looked up to the Super Saiyan in front of her.

"Ve… Vegeta?" she gasped. "How did you…"

Trunks got up, rubbing his jaw. "There's no need for this, father."

"I'll be the judge of that!" Vegeta snapped. "There's only one way to solve this issue: we fight."

"If that's what you want…" Trunks powered up and went Super Saiyan as well. "Bring it on!"

They were both surprised to find out that they couldn't move an inch. Tara had stretched out her hands and was mumbling a spell.

"I won't let you," she said softly. "I never intended to get anyone killed. You two shouldn't blame each other, you should blame me. I caused this mess. So if one of you wants to fight me, go right ahead." She released them.

"I was only defending myself," Trunks stated. "I have no desire to fight you, Tara."

"I know," Tara said. "Vegeta?" They looked at each other and Vegeta powered down to his normal form.

"I'm not suicidal, Tara." He shifted his gaze to Trunks. "You'd better watch your back around here."

"I will."

Vegeta turned around and left with clenched fists. He did it! He finally achieved Super Saiyan strength! What did he care about Tara?


	13. Departure of a Prince

Chapter Thirteen – Departure of a Prince

Days went by. Vegeta locked himself up inside the GR to test his new Super Saiyan abilities… only to find out that he couldn't transform anymore.

"There are too many distractions here," he decided. "It's time to get off this pitiful planet."

He took off in his ship to train in the solitude of space.

Tara woke up because of the noise.

*Vegeta…* There was no answer. She ran to the window to see a glimpse of the spaceship right before it disappeared into the night sky. 'Damn you,' she thought. Then she felt two hands on her shoulders and sighed.

"So he decided to run," Trunks whispered. "Don't worry, he'll be back when he's cooled off."

"Do you think so? I'm not so sure."

"At some point, he'll realize he needs you. Just like I did." He pulled her back towards the bed. "Let's go back to sleep."

Tara couldn't sleep anymore and studied Trunks's face while he was sleeping peacefully. She suddenly realized that staying here wasn't such a major problem for him; with the time machine, he could go back to whatever moment in time he thought was right. He could spend years in this dimension and return to his own timeline the very same day he left. The only thing that worried her, was that he would age in this dimension. He'd return to his mother years older. Wasn't that wrong? But then again, he was part Saiyan. He'd probably live almost as long as a pureblood, she estimated he would live for about a century and a half. 'As for me,' she thought, 'I really don't know how long I'm going to last. Pureblood Magicians can grow more than a thousand years old, Saiyans on the other hand tend to last two hundred years max. That is, if they're not killed in battle.' She sighed, softly stroking Trunks's muscular shoulder. 'I hope Vegeta comes back soon. It's not right; he shouldn't be wandering around in space while I'm here with Trunks. He belongs here! Why can't he see that?' 

She spent the next weeks trying to contact Vegeta telepathically, but to no avail. 'He's blocking me,' she thought. 'But he won't get away with it that easily.' She wrote down a message for him and teleported it to him, using his ki signal as a beacon.

Vegeta looked at the piece of paper that appeared out of nowhere. 'What the…' He picked it up and read it in the light of repeated lightning.

"You could have a change of heart

If you would only change your mind

Instead of slamming down the phone boy

For the hundredth time

I got your number on my wall

But I ain't gonna make that call

When divided we stand baby

Your night will fall

Got the time, got the chance, gonna make it

Got my hands on your heart, gonna take it

All I know, I can't fight this way

Without you – one night alone

Is like a year without you baby

Do you have a heart of stone

Without you – can't stop the hurt inside

When love and hate collide

I don't wanna fight no more

I don't know what we're fighting for

When we treat each other baby

Like an act of war

You could tell a million lies

That it would come as no surprise

When the truth is like a stranger

Hits you right between the eyes

There's a time and a place and a reason

And I know I got a lot to believe in

All I know, got to win this time

Without you – one night alone

Is like a year without you baby

Do you have a heart of stone

Without you – one night alone

Is like a year without you baby

If you had a heart at all

Without you – can't stop the hurt inside

When love and hate collide"

* Author's Note: Lyrics by Def Leppard, song title "When love and hate collide"; me no own! / altered version – the third line is actually "instead of slamming down the phone _girl_" and the twenty-first "_I_ could tell a million lies" *

Vegeta sighed. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get her out of his mind. Was he indeed lying to himself? Should he go back to Earth? He might as well return, since he couldn't transform anymore. Reaching Super Saiyan again seemed to be an impossible mission for now. He folded the piece of paper and put it away. The moment he got up, the meteors started to fall from the dark sky like a deadly hail storm.

'My ship! If it gets hit by one of those meteors, I'll be stuck on this rock forever!' He defended himself and his ship in a desperate struggle for survival, destroying the giant meteor in the heart of the storm and crashing down into the hard ground. Blood seeped out from several cuts as he thought: 'That's it. I could have died! No one would even have noticed! My life would have been meaningless, I achieved nothing. I couldn't even tell the one I love how I truly feel… I'm going back.'

He took off in his ship, punched in the coordinates of Earth and fell down onto his bed. For the first time in years, he slept without having nightmares.

*So you finally realized the truth.* Her voice echoed inside his head.

*I'm on my way… home, I guess,* Vegeta answered. *I don't care about the rules anymore. I know now that other things are more important.*****

*Hurry back, Vegeta. We miss you.*


End file.
